—loses speech, mobility

An elderly woman, who was among those aboard the Fly Jamaica aircraft that crash landed last Friday at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri is currently hospitalized after reportedly suffering severe trauma, which resulted in the swelling of the brain.

Eighty-six-year-old Rookhia Kalloo, her daughter, Lilawattie Persaud and her granddaughter, who has a disability, were among those aboard Fly Jamaica flight OJ 257, which had been en route to Toronto, Canada when it experienced hydraulic issues.

This prompted the aircraft to make an emergency landing, however, the plane overshot the runway and veered to a closed section, resulting in damage to the right wing.

When Stabroek News spoke with Persaud yesterday afternoon, she explained that her mother, who suffers from a heart condition, was taken to the Woodlands Hospital during the early morning hours of Monday, 12 November, where she remains a patient, even as doctors say they cannot do much else for her.

Detailing the events that led to Kalloo’s hospitalization, the woman said her mother had been very hysterical after the accident but did not complain of having suffered any injuries.

However, after returning home, Persaud said she noticed that Kalloo seemed somewhat disoriented and so she sought to ascertain from the woman if she was indeed okay and was told that she was not feeling well.

As a result, a decision was made to take Kalloo to the Woodlands Hospital, where she was immediately admitted and underwent several tests.

Since the accident, Persaud said her mother has lost her ability to speak and move on her own.

“She went to sleep but woke up different, the last time I heard my mother speak was on Sunday when I asked her if she was okay, but now she totally shut down …the doctors said that her brain is swollen and that it is shutting down and that there is nothing else they can do for her,” Persaud shared.

Notwithstanding, Persaud says she is trying to have her mother transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital since it is costly to keep her at the Woodlands Hospital.

Added to her frustrations, however, is the fact that the airline is yet to provide any details as it relates to flights for those who are now otherwise stranded in Guyana.

“I have told them about mom’s condition and I have been trying to find out about flights and they told me I have to check with the doctors to see if she can travel,” Persaud disclosed.

Stabroek News understands that the trio had been on vacation in Guyana for four weeks prior to the accident.